Lubricator insert for stuffing boxes



Aug. 28, 1934. .1, s. TAYLOR LUBRICATOR INSERT FOR STUFFING BOXES Filed Feb. 25, 1932v lwhm n 1.427 1 m @M5/ m /M 1ra/w da I. /fff ,WJ 5/ Mx a 4.. xr/N I+ W .4 \25 2 J M :if w 2 4@ d 7 Patented Aug. 28, 1934 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE LUBRICATOR INSERT FOB STUFFING BOXES James S. Taylor, Tulsa, Okla.

Application February 25, 1932, Serial No. 595,143

a claims.

through a stuning box.

In well pumping equipment the upper end of a sucker rod string is commonly provided with a rod section, highly polished to reduce wear, and adapted to run through a stuing box and to be connected to a pump jack or other means for pumping the well. It has been found, however, that wear of the polish rod and of the packing material in the stufilng box is greatly reduced by properly lubricating the rod in its travel through the box, and various types of lubricating stuiling boxes have been devised for this purpose.

Inthe usual type of lubricating stuffing box, having a reservoir for containing lubricant, no packing is provided for the rod portion above the reservoir. Consequently agitated liquid pumped from the well tends to now the lubricant from the reservoir, or rain water flowing downwardly on the rod will pass into the reservoir and float out the lubricating oil. When no lubricant is present in the reservoir excessive friction of the rod on the packing causes the packing to burn out thereby permitting liquid from the Well to escape around the rod.

It is an important object of my invention therefore, to overcome these disadvantages by providing sealing means for the rod below and above the lubricant-containing reservoir.

Another object of my invention is to provide the lubricant-containing reservoir in the form of an insert adapted to be interposed between the upper and lower members of a conventional type of stuffing bnx without necessitating any change in the original stuiiing box parts, thereby providing a lubricator element which can be manufactured at low cost and which can be readily inserted in stufing boxes of the type commonly used.

In accomplishing these and other objects of my invention I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stumng box mounted on a polish rod and provided with an insert constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the insert in spaced relation with the lower and upper members of a stumng box.

Fig. 3 is a central vertical section oi' a stumng box mounted on a polish rod and provided with an insert embodying my invention.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Referring more in detail to the drawing:v 1 designates the upper end of a well casing provided with a casing head 2 for retaining well tubing 3 in concentric sealed relation with the casing.

Threaded on the upper end of the tubing is a T-iltting 4 having a lateral outlet 5 connected 65 with adischarge line 6, and secured in the upper end of the fitting is a nipple 7 internally threaded, as indicated at 8, for engaging the exteriorly threaded portion of a lower stufling box member 9.

A concentric guide opening 10 is provided in the lower member for slidably receiving a polish rod 11, and a counterbored socket 12 of the lower member is adapted to ordinarily seat the reduced skirt 13 of an upper stung box member 14, a plurality of packing rings 15 being mounted in the socket between the members.

Formed on the upper ends of the members 9 and 14 are ears 16 and 17 respectively, having aligned openings 18 and 19, the openings 18 80 being preferably threaded for receiving the lower ends of bolts 20 adapted to be extended through the openings 19 of the upper member, and nuts 21 being threaded on the bolts for clamping the stuiilng box members together to urge the packing rings into sealing engagement with the polish rod.

In order to reduce the wear of both the sealing rings and polish rod,` I provide an insert 22 for supplying lubricant to the rod, the insert including a hollow cylindrical body portion 23 having a lower wall 24 terminatingin a reduced skirt 25, complementary to the skirt 13 of the upper stuing box member, for seating in the socket 12 of the lower member.

Extending downwardly into the cylindrical body, in concentric relation therewith, is a socket portion 26 producing an annular reservoir for containing lubricant 27 and terminating in a lower wall 28 in slightly spaced parallel relation with the wall 24 of the body to form an opening 29 for permitting direct peripheral contact of the lubricant with the polish rod.

The socket portion further serves to seat the skirt 13 of the upper member and its lower wallV is provided with a reduced concentric opening 30 aligned with similar openings 31 and 32 in the skirts 13 and 25 for slidably receiving the polish rod.

Sealing rings 33, Vsimilar to the rings 15 in vided in the socket portion of the insert.

The body portion of the insert is further pro- `v1ded at dlametricauy opposite points with 1ndenturea 34 for receiving the bolts 20, the indentures extending into webs 35 connecting the downwardly extending socket portion 26 with the body of the insert and dividing the upper portion of the reservoir in halves as particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In order to permit free passage of air from one portion of the reservoir into the other a port 36 is preferably provided in one of the webs 35 adjacent its upper end so that lubricant supplied to one half of thev reservoir through a ller opening 37, closed by a plug screw 438, will flow into and ll the other half of the chamber.

Assuming a device to be constructed as described, the manner of interposing the insert between upper and lower stuiling box' members, and of assembling the stuiling box on a polish rod would be as follows:

After sleeving the lower part of the stufilng box over a polish rod and threading it into the nipple 7, a desired number ot sealing rings is inserted in the socket of the lower member. The insert 22 is next mounted on the polish rod and the skirt 25 is extended into the socket 12 of the lower member into abutting engagement with the sealing rings.

-Sealing rings are also mounted in the socket portion 26 of the insert, and the upper stumng box member is sleeved over the polish rod, and its reduced end is extended into engagement with the latter sealing rings, whereupon the nuts 21 are threaded on the bolts, and the members are securely clamped together 'to urge the sealing rings into firm engagement with the polish rod.

A supply of lubricant of desired consistency is then introduced through the filler opening 37 into the reservoir of the insert and, as will be particularly clear from Fig. 3, is free to engage the entire periphery of the polish rod. Upon downward movement of the rod, a portion of the lubricant is carried with the rod to lubricate not only the guide opening in the neck 25, but also the sealing rings and the openings 10 and 31 of the lower and upper box members.

As the stroke is reversed and the rod moves upwardly, a small portion of the lubricant is carried therewith, but. is prevented from escaping from the upper end of the stuffing box by the sealing vrings 33.

'I'he insert can be manufactured at low cost and can be readily mounted on a polish rod between the upper and lower members of a stuffing box without requiring any change of construction in the latter members-except a provision of bolts 20 of suilicient length to accommodate the insert.

From. the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided an extremely simple device for continuously supplying lubricant to a polish rod during its reciprocating travel, thereby greatly delcreasing wear of the rod and also wear of the stuihng box members.

\' What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with mating stumng box members, and bolts for clamping said -members together, an insert adapted to be concen trically interposed between said members and having webs on its diametric center line provided with indentures for receiving said bolts, the insert having a reservoir adapted for supplying lubricant to the rod.

2. In combination with mating stuillng box members provided respectively with a socket and with a skirt for seating in said socket, and bolts for clamping said members together, an insert adapted to be interposed between said members having a skirt for seating in the socket of one member and a socket for receiving the skirt of the other member, the insert having an annular reservoir adapted for supplying lubricant to said rod, and vertical webs extending through said reservoir and having indentures for receiving said bolts.

3. In combination with mating stufllng box members for a rod of the character described, and bolts for clamping said members together, an insert adapted to be interposed between said mem-l bers, having a reservoir, and webs dividing the upper portion-of the reservoir and having indentures for receiving said bolts, one of said webs having a transverse port to provide communication between the divided reservoir portions.

JAMES S. TAYLOR. 

